Get started

On PulseVM your account is a readable name, and it carries its own permission tree. In about fifteen minutes you'll deploy a contract to it, then give a second key permission to call exactly one of its actions.

1. Pick a network

Network	Use it for	Accounts	Status
A-Chain Alpine	Metallicus' Pulse-native testnet (SYS token)	Created on request	Public RPC not answering as of 2026-10-19
Your own network	Anything you want to control	You hold the creator authority	See Launch your own network

XPR→PulseVM cutover testing is in progress; public test endpoints will be listed on Network Endpoints when available.

2. Install the CLI

pulse-ts is the cross-platform CLI, shaped like XPR Network's proton-cli. It needs Node 18 or newer and is not on npm yet, so build it from source:

git clone https://github.com/paulgnz/pulse-cli-ts
cd pulse-cli-ts
npm install
npx tsc -b
npm link          # puts pulse-ts on your PATH
pulse-ts --help

Metallicus also ships a Rust pulse CLI with every pulsevm release (Linux binaries). See Command-line tools.

3. Keys and an account

pulse-ts create-key          # prints a PUB_K1_… / PVT_K1_… pair. Save the private key.
pulse-ts key:add             # import the private key into the local, encrypted keystore

• On Alpine, account creation is an authorized action. Ask in the Telegram group or contact Metallicus with your public key. You get back a named account, such as yourname1, with owner and active set to your key and starter resources.
• On your own network, you hold the creator authority and create accounts yourself.

4. Point the CLI at the network

pulse-ts endpoint:set https://<your-pulsevm-rpc>                # stores the endpoint and reads its chain ID
pulse-ts chain:info                                            # prints head block and chain ID
pulse-ts account yourname1                                     # your permissions and resources

5. Build and deploy

Pick a language and follow its quickstart. Each ends with a deployed contract and an action you pushed:

• Rust: the canonical contract kit. PulseVM and its system contracts are Rust.
• C++: the full Antelope CDT heritage.
• TypeScript: AssemblyScript, for teams who prefer it.

6. Give a second key one job

This is the step that has no equivalent on most chains. Create a permission for a bot, and bind it to a single action of your contract:

pulse-ts create-key                                            # the bot's key
pulse-ts update-auth yourname1 bot active PUB_K1_…botkey --sign-permission active
pulse-ts push-action eosio linkauth \
  '{"account":"yourname1","code":"yourname1","type":"greet","requirement":"bot"}' \
  -a yourname1@active

Now yourname1@bot can call greet and no other contract action. Try a token transfer with it and the chain refuses before any contract runs. On Alpine the system account is pulse rather than eosio. More in Accounts and permissions.

When it fails

Error	Cause	Fix
pulse assert failed: <msg> or eosio assert failed: <msg>	A contract check failed (Rust and C++ contracts word it differently)	Read the message. It names the failing check
action declares irrelevant authority	You signed with a permission that is not linked to that action	Sign with the linked permission, or with active
missing authority of <account>	The action does not declare an authorization the contract requires	Add that account to -a, for example -a yourname1@active
transaction declares authority '…' but does not have signatures for it	No key in your keystore satisfies the permission you named	Check pulse-ts account <name> and import the right key with pulse-ts key:add
Insufficient RAM	The account is too small for the contract	Buy RAM, or ask for more on a testnet
Connection error or empty response	Endpoint not set, or the network is down	Run step 4 and check Network endpoints